Team Austria Lifesavers

Your smartphone and you: a team that saves lives

Every year, around 10,000 people in Austria suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and only about one in ten survives. The reason: In most cases, chest compressions are not started in time—even though potential first responders are often nearby, they simply don’t know that an emergency is happening.

To address this issue, the initiative “Team Österreich Lebensretter” was launched by the Austrian Red Cross, Hitradio Ö3, and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK).

How does it work?

When an emergency call is made, not only the professional rescue services are alerted, but also registered volunteer first responders in the vicinity via an app. They are sent directly to the emergency location and can begin life-saving measures such as chest compressions or defibrillation—crucial minutes before the ambulance arrives that can make the difference between life and death.

Anyone aged 18 or older who has completed a valid first aid course and is willing to help in an emergency can join. After registering in the app and uploading proof of first aid training, participants become part of a nationwide network of volunteer lifesavers.

Julian Taferner, a student of the bachelor’s program Social, Health & Public Management, is already participating in the initiative and wants to encourage others to get involved: “I want to inform and raise awareness among my fellow students about this project. An alert could come at any time.”

As a trained paramedic, he adds: “I can only recommend joining. Performing chest compressions—even just a few minutes before emergency services arrive—can mean the difference between life and death.”

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